Scientists in Europe announced this week that their experiments on tardigrades, microscopic invertebrates with eight legs, can survive the harsh conditions of outer space completely unprotected. The little arthropods were launched in a dehydrated state aboard a satellite for 10 days in low-earth orbit where they were exposed to the vacuum of space and unfiltered solar radiation. When they returned to Earth, they were rehydrated, and then proceeded to thrive and even to continue to reproduce.

I hereby announce that Water Bears are the new Unicorns. In that they are all kinds of awesome and cute.

Read the article...